Discover how many of the misconceptions about nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plans are easily debunked myths, and how offering NQDC plans can be a vital tool in helping to grow your advisory business. 

Discover how providing a free plan diagnostic for employers offering nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plans can help grow your business.  NQDC plan reviews can identify issues with the sponsor’s current plan and help them decide to change providers.

Offering nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) savings plans as a supplement to traditional qualified plans such as a 401(k) is an effective tool companies use to attract, motivate, and retain key employees, and to help resolve qualified plan testing failures. But because NQDC plans do not meet ERISA requirements, they must be funded differently than qualified plans.  

Discover how nonqualified deferred compensation plans can help highly compensated employees navigate tax season complications, offering cost-effective alternatives to certain qualified plans. Learn more about the benefits of NQDC plans for companies and HCEs.

Maximize bank-owned life insurance (BOLI) programs with these six best practices, and learn how financial institutions can optimize BOLI for tax-free savings and effective retirement solutions for key employees.

Our program makes it easier for you to scale for growth through an enhanced service model. See what current Elite advisors find most valuable and benefits to achieving Elite status.

Managed accounts have been an option in defined contribution plans for more than 20 years. So why talk about them now?

The answer is simple: several factors are reshaping how individuals invest and plan for retirement—and managed accounts are uniquely positioned to meet their evolving needs.

Check out new resources to amplify your own brand—and benefit from the continued investments we’re making to boost the Ascensus name and brand in the market, too.

Learn how to help your bank clients optimize their BOLI portfolios with two proven strategies that can enhance performance, credit, and risk-weight characteristics in a high-interest environment.

If ever there was an opportunity for retirement-focused and wealth management advisors to build out their defined contribution plan business, this may be it.

Your business is all about helping clients achieve their financial goals and optimizing their wealth. Depending on your client base, retirement plans may or may not be a focus of your practice.

If you're like a lot of people, you have a love-hate relationship with your alarm clock. While we can appreciate that it helps us wake up on time so we can earn a paycheck, our appreciation only slightly outweighs our desire to smash it with a hammer each and every morning.

Find out what's driving the interest in PEPs—and how it pays to work with a partner who provides a full array of resources that help you sell with confidence.

Nondiscrimination testing is a potential pitfall for 401(k) clients. But with the right planning, there are alternative, cost-effective solutions to consider—such as nonqualified deferred compensation plans.

Payroll integration is a solution that optimizes plan performance. By recommending it, you can reinforce your value as a trusted advisor and even boost your retention rates.

"The game of life is a lot like football. You have to tackle your problems, block your fears, and score your points when you get the opportunity." When Lewis Grizzard spoke these words of wisdom, he probably wasn’t thinking about fiduciary responsibility—but that's just the problem that needs to be tackled for retirement plan sponsors. Fiduciary liability can loom like a linebacker over businesses that offer a 401(k) plan, and clients need a playbook to help them manage it.

As a financial advisor or tax professional, prospecting small business owners can seem like more work than it's worth. Much like yours, their calendars are full—and they might not be prepared to learn about 401(k) plans and the added administrative tasks involved in sponsoring one.

As a financial advisor, you're in the unique position to provide plan sponsors and participants with advice and guidance on issues relating to their finances—which most American adults and retirement plan sponsors alike could benefit from.

Connecting with current and potential clients is just the first hurdle. As a financial advisor, one of your biggest challenges is to build a positive and trusting relationship with those who consult with you. Working remotely and attempting to use a multi-channel approach for communication can add an extra level of complexity, but there are some key steps you can take to provide a feeling of trust, reliability, and support without having traditional face-to-face meetings.

At a high level, the basic principles of saving money that can help lead to better long-term financial outcomes are relatively simple. Plus, most clients already know a few easy ways to increase the size of their savings—but struggle to follow through. That leaves financial advisors with a perfect opportunity to showcase their value and help clients achieve their long-term savings goals.

In today’s retirement landscape, financial education is a hot topic—and for good reason. It’s necessary to foster responsible fiscal decisions, healthy savings habits, and overall retirement readiness among today’s consumers—and as a financial advisor, you understand this better than anyone.

When looking for a new provider for any type of service, consumers don't typically end their search with the first supplier they find. Think about it; when you chose your cable and internet provider, did you make your decision based on which provider you saw first, or did you take things like plan fees, connection speed, channel options, and customer service into account? We're willing to bet you did some research and comparisons before moving forward with a selected provider.

As a financial advisor, you lead a busy life. Between client meetings, reviewing investments, and keeping up with your practice, it can be hard to find a single minute of free time throughout the day. So how can you find the time to create and sustain a marketing plan?

Today's future retirees face many demands on their personal finances, and they're often torn in numerous directions. They may be gearing up to help their kids fund college or perhaps trying to get that mortgage paid off before reaching the years of retirement bliss. Whatever the case may be, it's important for financial advisors to keep clients on track when it comes to saving for their future.

Looking for ways to spark discussions with your clients' executives? Our Trends Report is packed with insights to help you expand your influence with them.

Find out how Ascensus puts data into action to improve plan performance—and why this is a powerful differentiator when you partner with us.

We explore the business case for MEP to PEP conversions and share lessons learned from a recent conversion that helped an advisor retain a key account.

Retirement solutions can drive growth in your practice—and so can alternative offerings. Through Ascensus and Newport, you have an expert to help you execute with bank prospects.

Partnership is core to a successful advisor retirement practice. With our expanded product portfolio and world-class service, we create an outstanding partnership experience.

SECURE 2.0 is great for plan sponsors and savers, and it can help you grow, too. Find out what’s changing and when—and get ideas for positioning key provisions.

"Get there" is a common phrase, but where is "there" for you, professionally and personally? Advisors and Ascensus leaders share their thoughts.

Many employers are now considering pooled retirement plans. Recommending a PEP can be an easy way to scale your business, and we have resources to help you.

Of course, most business owners and prospective 401(k) plan sponsors have a reason for why they’ve postponed starting a retirement plan for their employees. Their reasoning tends to center on a lack of time and not having the budget to deal with expenses involved in starting and running a 401(k) plan.

It’s no secret that working as a financial advisor is highly rewarding. You make a clear, concise difference in the lives of workers who are trying to get ahead financially, and your impact is lasting. You help ease the financial stress your clients feel on a day-to-day basis, and you help them feel confident that they’ll reach financial freedom in due time.

When you hear the term risk, does your heart skip a beat? Perhaps the thrill of doing something risky, like taking Vegas head-on by doubling down on blackjack or going all-in with a bluff, is tempting. Yet for many people, particularly when it comes to finances, the term “risk” may not be quite as exciting. Especially if those people are your clients.

Most advisors don’t specialize in 401(k) plans, but the reality is, offering one to clients can be a lucrative tool for growing your book of business. Assets in 401(k) plans tend to grow consistently, which can generate a reliable source of revenue growth for financial advisors—and retirement planning can work hand-in-hand with other services you offer, introducing you to more participants that could become wealth management clients down the road.

Dive deeper into alternative retirement plan types and what you need to know to help clients and prospects meeting evolving needs—and unlock expanded revenue streams for you.

Stay current with the latest trends from GSAM's retirement research. They explore the challenges people face preparing for and managing retirement—and possible paths forward.

Learn more about a family-owned manufacturing business in Georgia with underutilization in their retirement program for years—until they made a critical change.

Your clients can’t afford to take cybersecurity for granted. Why? Cyberattacks are on the rise, data theft is big business for cybercriminals, and workplace retirement plans aren’t immune.

With more flexibility, consistency, and capacity, partnering with Ascensus makes it easier to say "yes" to more opportunities.

We spoke with Ascensus Elite Advisor Alex Assaley, managing principal, AFS 401(k) Retirement Services, to learn more about how partnership was important in helping a client reach their goals to boost participation, savings rates, and the overall value of the plan.

With the economic upheaval of recent years, financial advisors—particularly those who work closely with small businesses—have been feeling a new psychosocial crunch.

Watch for our new brand campaign, 'Get There,' on LinkedIn and listen for it on NPR's Marketplace and SiriusXM. The ads are part of new, strategic investments to increase brand awareness and visibility—and make it easier for you to sell Ascensus plans.

The numbers tell the story: Plans with auto-enroll have better participation—30% better.1 And, plan participation is tied to employee retention. Eligible employees who don't enroll leave at a rate 3x that of enrolled participants.